[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1151 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1151

  To amend the method for achieving quiet technology specified in the 
            National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 29, 2001

 Mr. Reid (for himself and Mr. Ensign) introduced the following bill; 
    which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the method for achieving quiet technology specified in the 
            National Parks Air Tour Management Act of 2000.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be referred to as the ``Grand Canyon Quiet Technology 
Implementation Act''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO QUIET AIRCRAFT TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) In General.--Section 804 of the National Parks Air Tour 
Management Act of 2000 (49 U.S.C. 40128 note) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Alternative Quiet Aircraft Technology.--
            ``(1) General rule.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, an air tour operator based in Clark County, Nevada or at 
        the Grand Canyon National Park Airport shall be treated as 
        having met the requirements for quiet aircraft technology that 
        apply with respect to commercial air tour operations for tours 
        described in subsection (b), if the air tour operator has met 
        the following requirements:
                    ``(A) The aircraft used by the air tour operator 
                for such tours--
                            ``(i) meet the requirements designated 
                        under subsection (a); or
                            ``(ii) if not previously powered by turbine 
                        engines, have been modified to be powered by 
                        turbine engines and, after the conversion--
                                    ``(I) have a higher number of 
                                propellers (in the case of fixed-wing 
                                aircraft) or main rotor blades (in the 
                                case of helicopters) than the aircraft 
                                had before the conversion, thereby 
                                resulting in a reduction in prop or 
                                blade tip speeds and engine revolutions 
                                per minute;
                                    ``(II) have current technology 
                                engine exhaust mufflers;
                                    ``(III) in the case of helicopters, 
                                have current technology quieter tail 
                                rotors; or
                                    ``(IV) have any other 
                                modifications, approved by the Federal 
                                Aviation Administration, that 
                                significantly reduce the aircraft's 
                                sound.
                    ``(B) The air tour operator has replaced, for use 
                for the tours, smaller aircraft with larger aircraft 
                that have more seating capacity, thereby reducing the 
                number of flights needed to transport the same number 
                of passengers.
                    ``(C) The air tour operator can safely demonstrate, 
                through flight testing administered by the Federal 
                Aviation Administration that applies a sound 
                measurement methodology accepted as standard, that the 
                tour operator can fly existing aircraft in a manner 
                that achieves a sound signature in the same noise range 
                or having the same or similar sound effect as the 
                aircraft that satisfy the requirements of subparagraph 
                (A) or (B).
            ``(2) Exemption from flight caps.--Any air tour operator 
        that meets the requirements described in paragraph (1), shall 
        be--
                    ``(A) exempt from the operational flight 
                allocations referred to in subsection (c) and from 
                flight curfews and any other requirement not imposed 
                solely for reasons of aviation safety; and
                    ``(B) granted air tour routes that are preferred 
                for the quality of the scenic views for--
                            ``(i) tours from Clark County, Nevada to 
                        the Grand Canyon National Park Airport; and
                            ``(ii) `local loop' tours referred to in 
                        subsection (b)(2).''.
    (b) Reinstatement of Certain Air Tour Routes.--Any air tour route 
from Clark County, Nevada, to the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, 
Tusayan, Arizona, that was eliminated, or altered in any way, by 
regulation or by action by the Federal Aviation Administration, on or 
after January 1, 2001, and before the date of enactment of this Act 
shall be reinstated effective as of such date of enactment and no 
further changes, modifications, or elimination of any other air tour 
route flown by an air tour company based in Clark County, Nevada or at 
the Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Tusayan, Arizona may be made 
after such date of enactment without the approval of Congress.
                                 <all>